American Pie

[Nick Lessins's] cheese pie, prepared with fresh mozzarella made in-house, grated Wisconsin sheep’s-and-cow’s-milk cheese, and aromatic fresh marjoram instead of basil, was slightly shy of unbelievable. The next day I returned to try the same pie topped with fresh garlic and mortadella, the dirigible-sized Italian sausage that looks like bologna, tastes like salami, and is usually cut into chunks. He sliced the meat very thin and laid slices of it over the pie the moment it came out of the oven. The mortadella, with its combination of burliness and creaminess, was a meaty addition to the earthy, bready crust. This pie—creative, original, and somewhat local—represented everything irresistible about the new American style of pizza-making.

Editor's note: Sadly, this location closed in 2013. Let us know if you have a candidate to replace it!

Click here to read Alan Richman's full article, from the June '09 issue of GQ.